Tuesday, April 17, 2001 Reduce eye strain Feel free to experiment until you find a set of comfortable settings. Using a PC shouldn't hurt!

Spending countless hours in front of a PC monitor can cause eye fatigue and headaches. Fortunately, there are some things that may help alleviate physical problems. Keep the monitor contrast up and brightness down to levels that are comfortable to you. Also use a non-interlaced video format, and keep the video refresh rate at 72Hz or higher (whatever is the highest rate supported by your video card). Set a moderate resolution (800x600 or higher), and select a color scheme, text size, and icon size that is pleasing and easy to read. Feel free to experiment until you find a set of comfortable settings. Using a PC shouldn't hurt!

Formerly part of Computer Currents, Stephen J. Bigelow's Computer Advisor column has been resurrected on computeruser.com as a daily tech tip column. Find Stephen at www.dlspubs.com.